


Quarantine from the perspective of  Kevin Cozner, PhD

by alizaporter



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Kevin has a lot of self monologues it's just who he is, M/M, Quarantine, Self Isolation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24210490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alizaporter/pseuds/alizaporter
Summary: Kevin Cozner's Zoom meeting is abruptly interrupted by two surprise guests.
Relationships: Kevin Cozner/Ray Holt
Comments: 13
Kudos: 154





	Quarantine from the perspective of  Kevin Cozner, PhD

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is the first fic that I have EVER uploaded. Please give comments and feedback!

“This is not what I spent my years earning my PhD for. However, the danger in Brooklyn at this time is higher than any place in the country. I trust all of you are staying at home and avoiding contact with those outside your household.”

Kevin watched as thirty of his students nodded in unison on screen. This is not how he preferred to conduct his lessons. He used the traditional blackboard, and students took notes. He lectured pacing back and forth to gain command of the room. He preferred to be in his lecture halls, rather than his study. Granted, it was well stocked with research material, and the internet was a resource, but he would rather be walking down long corridors of shelved books at his favorite campus library. Plus, his study was entered through an arched opening, an open space with no door.

This was a problem.

His home was not very disruptive- he and Raymond lived in a respectable community in which not many children lived. The crime and the noise was at a minimum, as much as possible in Brooklyn. Their home had soundproofing facilities to keep their sanctuary quiet- but what happened inside the house was a different matter. 

Cheddar was admittedly restless. Every morning before work, Kevin would take him on a walk through his favorite dog park. Every park in the city was now closed for safety reasons, which Kevin respected. He now took his walks through the neighborhood, fitted with a mask and gloves. He crossed the street when another human approached. Sometimes, he felt as if he was the most careful person in New York City. He had to be. Even though he was at home baking plain bread and remaining safe, Raymond was not. He did see Raymond more often, when he had duties as a captain that did not involve being on the field. He knew that Raymond was taking the same precautions as him, but if he worked a case, it often involved hands on arrests and investigation that involved coming into contact with COVID-19.

Every night, Raymond would come home in a different outfit than the one he left with. He kept his uniform at the 99th precinct to avoid contamination. He would then shower, sanitize, and change clothes for the fourth time that day. After an hour or so of this, he would finally approach Kevin after arriving home. Kevin had memorized this new schedule and had prepared a plain, but nutritious meal at the exact time an hour after Raymond returned, whenever that was. If he returned late into the night, the meal would be on a platter in the refrigerator waiting to be microwaved. Self-isolation has turned him into quite the house-husband. He’d never admit it, but he enjoyed it. Raymond was under considerably more stress than usual, and he was always under a lot of stress as an NYPD police captain. Crime was much more complicated during the pandemic, and he now faced a much different threat than being shut down.  
Right at this moment, his husband was at home with him, working. He was thankful he had more time to spend with him, since as a leader Raymond could command the field without going out all of the time. He worked in the kitchen, communicating with his detectives and working on reports. As always, he was ready to jump into action if necessary. It was pleasant to work with Raymond. They were in separate rooms but in a few seconds he could step away to have a short conversation, or Raymond would show up at his study with a cup of his favorite tea. There was no man he would rather spend this quarantine with.

Although human beings can easily adjust to unusual routines, it was much different with Cheddar. He was a fairly independent dog, but Cheddar typically had a dedicated dog sitter during the time Kevin was working. Of course that was no longer possible, and not needed as Kevin did not need to leave his home. But the dog sitter kept Cheddar entertained and followed a regular, mandated routine developed by Kevin and Raymond themselves. This made Cheddar very healthy and happy. Kevin could not follow that routine while virtually teaching his classes. He was much more technically inclined than his husband, so working with Zoom meetings and Google Classroom assignments came easily. As much as he missed the work, he couldn’t complain. His family was healthy, he was still employed, and that was the best that he and Raymond could do.

Cheddar didn’t exactly understand this. He often interrupted Kevin and with the love he felt for his dog, he didn’t try to lock him away or shoo him off. Cheddar wanted the same love and attention all beings craved. He would be a horrible dog parent if he didn’t provide this love. Raymond was home more often and could often help with Cheddar, as he was doing currently. Kevin heard the front door gently close as Raymond and Cheddar left for a walk. They would have gone on schedule, but it had been raining and was simply a hassle. 

Kevin explained the theories to his class and projected his notes onto his computer screen. He missed the sound of typing keys and scribbled notes, something he could not achieve from a muted classroom call. He would love to keep the discussion open, but his students had terrible microphones. The traditional hands raised system worked fine enough, and he would unmute the student so they could ask their question.

“Professor Cozner, your notes state that this interpretation of the text was developed in 1856, but the textbook adds that the subsequent interpretation was developed without inspiration from the previous. Why is this?”

“A thoughtful note, Ms. Lindon. I would like all of you in class to direct your attention to page 254 so I can explai-”

“CHEDDAR”

Kevin heard the Corgi’s paws thump against the hardwood as he raced into the study and lept onto Kevin’s lap. The Zoom class exploded into laughter. He smiled down at his dog for a second, despite the brash interruption. He then noticed the trail. All over his pants and sweater, through the study and down the hallway. Perfect muddy footprints, tracked all through the household. He now understood why Raymond yelled. His husband appeared at the opening, a wet towel in his hand. He scooped up Cheddar and began to wipe the mud from his paws and legs. Kevin had no words to see his husband drenched in sweat, flecked with mud like the dog in his arms. But apparently, his students did.

“Professor Cozner! Is that your husband?”  
“Is that your dog? He’s so cute!”  
“My dog did that once. Sir it’s okay if you want to end class ear-”

“I am not ending class early. I will simply add on seventeen minutes and thirty four seconds onto Wednesday’s class. Please be able to answer Ms. Lindon’s question from page 254 by then. The essay is also due on Wednesday. Good afternoon.”

Kevin closed the tab on his desktop and turned back to his husband. Raymond’s fifth favorite polo shirt was ruined with mud and Cheddar looked as happy as he could be. Despite the mess that he now had to mop up, he was thankful to be doing it with his husband.

“I apologize Kevin, I attempted to clean Cheddar off on the mat but he got out of my arms. I will clean this up immediately.”

“Nonsense, this is a huge mess. Let me help.”

“I interrupted your work. That was very rude of me. If you have anything else to do you can finish it.”

“You know very well that my three pm class is the last of the day. It is foolish to do this alone. “

Kevin happily leaned into his husband holding Cheddar and pet him as well. Some may have punished him but he is simply a dog, wanting to love.

“Our fluffy boy” Raymond’s voice sounded like dusk settling over a mountain, if that image could be personified into a voice. He felt filled with love.

“This will take an hour to clean. Perhaps longer. I’ll fetch the mop” Kevin walked to the closet, feeling very pleased. In the living room, Cheddar was about to fall asleep on the dog bed Raymond set him on. They met in the middle. Kevin with a mop, Raymond with a shallow bucket filled with warm water and soap. They traded between a mop and several rags, meticulously cleaning the floor until it shined.

“How was your day?” Raymond questioned, cleaning away mud that splattered onto the lower portion of the wall

“Everything is as well as I can make it. I even had time to complete a puzzle. I bought it on Amazon. Every single piece was white. One thousand white pieces. It was.. Stimulating.”

“And you didn’t include me? I was only in the other room.”

“I bought another version in light grey. Five thousand pieces. I thought we could work on it together.”

“You know me so well, Professor.”

“Captain, of course I do. I knew that it would brighten your day.”

Raymond smiled at the use of title. Kevin and Raymond often called each other by title out of respect for everything they accomplished throughout their lives. Kevin was so very proud of Raymond, that sometimes, he was overflowing with that pride. Kevin rung out the mop into the bucket. They were done, and Cheddar was fast asleep.

“I think he deserved an adventure”

“I believe he did, Raymond. I thought since the two of us are done for the day, we could bake some rye bread together. It will go excellent with tomorrow’s eggs.”

“Kevin, I would be honored.”

The pair walked to the kitchen arm in arm.


End file.
